IMMUNOMODULATORY AND THERAPEUTIC ACTIVITY OF BIFIDO- AND LACTOBACTERIA IN CHILDREN WITH ALLERGIC DISEASES AND FREQUENT RESPIRATORY TRACT INFECTIONS

Abstract

Recently probiotics have attracted more and more attention of clinicians and researchers. According to the results of numerous studies, these agents are effective in treatment of acute and chronic diseases of the gastro-intestinal system, and possibility of usage of such drugs in patients with allergic disorders and frequent respiratory tract infections is under active investigation. This review contains data on bifido- and lactobacteria usage in patients with the above-mentioned conditions. It was shown, that lactobacteria have little effect in prophylaxis and treatment of allergic diseases in infants younger 1 year of life, while their efficacy was observed in older patients. According to the results of clinical trials, probiotics with bifido- and lactobacteria decrease the frequency and severity of respiratory infections. Frequently and protractedly ill children are characterized by persistent combined viral-bacterial and viral-bacterial-fungal associations resistant to therapy. In the experimental studies it was established, that species and cultures of lacto- and bifidobacteria including into the composition of a new combined probiotic drug have antagonistic action to conditionally pathogenic causative agents, restore integrity of the intestinal epithelium and increase cytokine production by the immunocompetent cells. Moreover, there are data on antiviral action of lactobacteria. All these makes the above-mentioned combined probiotic a promising drug for complex therapy of frequently and protractedly ill patients with mixed infections.

Keywords

• probiotics
• immune system
• frequent respiratory tract infections
• allergic diseases